Ch. 2 Notes

-Story of Section 1
The Age of Exploration: Europeans wanted to find a faster route to Asia
Columbus sailed West in 1492 to get to the East
Financed by Spain
Est. 1st permanent European colonies in the Am.
This isn’t Asia!
Italian expl. Amerigo Vespucci has the new land named after him.
America is born.
Continue searching for a route to Asia
Balboa – 1st to see Pacific Oc.
Ferdinand Magellan’s men 1st to circumnavigate the Earth.
The Columbian Exchange: a huge global exchange of gooda and ideas.

Story of 2-2:
-Spanish Conquistador H. Cortes conquers the Aztecs in Mexico - 1520.
-Span. Conq. F. Pizzaro conquers the Inca in S. Am. – 1533.
-Spanish were victorious because they had more advanced weaponry.
-Spanish explore U.S. region looking for cities of gold.
-Spain colonizes “Spanish America”.
-enslave Native Americans to work in gold and silver mines, gets very wealthy. Horribly mistreat natives.
-Priest Bartolome de Las Casas – worked to improve conditions for Nat. Am.
-Est. missions to convert Nat. Am. to Christianity – felt it their duty.
-Had to bring in African slaves to meet labor demands – began the African
slave trade.
-Spanish social system.
1. Peninsulares – upper class – colonist born in Spain.
2. Creoles – upper middle class - Born in New Sp. to two Spanish parents.
3. Mestizos – low middle class – one Spanish and one Native parent.
4. Mulattos – low class – one Spanish and one African parent.
5. Natives and full-blooded Africans.
- Was a rigid system, #3’s and down could not move up into the upper levels of society.

Story of 2-3: Europeans Compete in North America
-Religious and economic conflict s in Europe increased tensions among the major powers on the continent.
-Merchantilism – colonies existed to make the home country wealthy and powerful.
-Spanish Armada defeated by Eng. and power in Europe switches from Spain to Eng.
-Search for Asia continues – Northern Voyages
-John Cabot searches for a northern route for England. Disappears on 2nd voyage.
-Northwest Passage – a sea route from the Atlantic to the Pacific that passed through or around North America.
-G. da Verrazano – disc. mouth of Hudson River and New York Bay for France.
-J. Cartier – disc St. Lawrence Riv. for France
-H. Hudson – 4 voyages. 2 for Eng., 3rd for Holland when he reached what is now N. York and expl. the Hudson River. 4th for England – reached as far as Hudson’s Bay where his crew mutinied and set he, his son, and 7 loyal crew members afloat in a small boat, never to be seen again.

Story of 2-4: France and the Netherlands in North America
-S. de Champlain – mapped the St. Lawrence river, est. Quebec.
-The major French settlements in North America were based on fur trade with Nat. Amer.
-J. Marquette & Louis Joliet explored down the Miss. River. looking for NW Pass
-France eventually claims the Miss. River Valley – Louisiana
-Dutch settlements along the Hudson River valley became a barrier to westward expansion of the English colonies.
-Settlements were in what is now New York.
-The French and Dutch tried to est. peaceful relations with Nat. Am., but their presence had a major impact on the Nat. Am.’s future.
-Weapons from Eur. upset the balance of warfare bet. tribes.
-Diseases – like the Natives of Central and South America
-Overtrapping weakened the food chain led natives to be valued less.